The US Treasury had already sanctioned Kawtharani as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist since 2013 but the new reward represents acknowledgment of his increased role.

Iran's proxies, including Hezbollah, are empowered throughout the Middle East

(photo credit: REUTERS)

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The US announced Friday up to $10 million in rewards for information on Sheikh Mohammad al-Kawrharani, the senior Hezbollah commander in Iraq who was sent to Baghdad in January to help coordinate pro-Iranian militias in the country. The US State Department says that Kawtharani has “taken over some of the political coordination of Iran-aligned paramilitary groups” in Iraq. The reward also covers information on Kawtharani's networks and associates.

The US Treasury had already sanctioned Kawtharani as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist since 2013 but the new reward represents acknowledgment of his increased role. The decision to put pressure on Kawtharani comes after an eventful month in Iraq. In early March Iranian national security chief Ali Shamkhani came to Baghdad and gave advise to pro-Iranian groups on forming a government and ejecting the Americans.

The US had killed IRGC commander Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad in early January in response to threats against Americans. Soleimani was a key coordinator of pro-Iranian groups, who have the most seats in parliament and also have strong paramilitary forces on the ground called the Popular Mobilization Units. These dozens of pro-Iranian groups included Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah and its head Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. He died in the US airstrike that killed Soleimani.

Shamkhani went to Iraq to help coordinate elements in the absence of Soleimani. But his presence was temporary. For on-the-ground work the Iranians had already turned to Kawtharani. In January Iran had summoned the PMU leaders to Qom to meet with Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Kawatharani, like Sadr, is from Iraq’s Najaf. He happens to be a member of Hezbollah in Lebanon but he is part of Iran’s nexus throughout the Middle East.

The US accuses him of operating as a rogue in Iraq, helping coordinate the suppression of protests and attacks on US diplomatic missions. He has also been involved in financial money laundering for Hezbollah and he was involved in supporting the Syrian regime.

In March rocket attacks against US forces in Iraq increased and three members of the US-led Coalition were killed. The US launched airstrikes against the Pro-Iranian PMU. Then Iran sent its replacement for Soleimani, the less than charismatic Esmail Ghaani to Iraq. Reports in early April note that Ghaani largely failed in Iraq to rally politicians or militias to Iran’s cause. His visit was portrayed as a total disaster. In this context Iran has had mixed success in Iraq. It has encouraged the PMU to kill hundreds of protesters and the combination of brute force, time and the coronavirus has pushed the protesters off the streets after six months. However the political leadership in Iraq is in crises.

After Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi resigned in November 2019 there have been two choices for Prime Minister who failed to form a government. At the end of last week the President of Iraq tapped Mustafa al-Kadhimi to try to create a coalition. Kadhimi, a former activist and journalist who was the intelligence chief, has support from many parties. He is not known to be deeply pro-Iran.

The US has used this opportunity to put pressure on Kawtharani’s mission, hoping to disrupt it or at least cause him to look over his head for drones pursuing his SUV. He has kept quiet anyway, learning from his commander in Lebanon, Hassan Nasrallah, who lives in a bunker. Iran hopes that the US will soon withdraw most of its forces from Iraq. The coronavirus has caused training of the US-led Coalition to stop and French, Spanish, UK, Czech and other members of the Coalition have left Iraq in recent weeks. The US has also turned over five posts to Iraqi forces. The US footprint in Iraq is shrinking amid this repositioning of forces.

In the context of Iran tensions Washington sent Patriot air defense to Iraq over the last week and has also sent short range air defense against mortars and rockets that is expected to be deployed at Camp Taji and Ayn al-Assad. This gives the US forces more protection as they consolidate and end the training. That means they have less vulnerabilities. Iran’s militias in Iraq haven’t stopped their threats though. They say the “clock is ticking” and that more attacks will target the US.

The US has responded over the last year to around two dozen rocket attacks by sanctioning more Iranian-backed groups. The US sanctioned Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba in March and Asaib Ahl al-Haq in January. This makes all these groups potential targets of US drone strikes should they threaten the US. The reward for Kawtharani is designed to up the pressure on the web of pro-Iranian groups and leaders in Iraq. The reward provides up to $10 million not just for Kawtharani, but also information on his activities, networks and associates. If you have information the State Department maintains a website and a contact. You can also contact the security officer at the nearest US embassy or consulate.

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